1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for aiming a camcorder. In particular the present invention relates to a device which can be attached to a camcorder and used to aim the camcorder while continuing to observe the action being recorded.
2. Description of Related Art
With the introduction of digital camcorders, their ease of use and cost effective price, we now see these devices almost everywhere. These new devices are designed for the average user and hence have concentrated on being user friendly. A trip to a local youth soccer game will quickly show the ubiquity of these devices.
Aiming the camcorder, that is the framing of the view that will appear on the finished video, is classically done by one of two means. Aiming is conventionally accomplished with use of either an electronic or optical viewfinder. An electronic viewfinder produces a digital image on a screen much like the finished video product and it is not uncommon to currently see two to three inch LCD screens for viewing the action as it is recorded. The alternative is the older optical system, where, through a series of optical lenses an approximation or actual view through the lens is accomplished to indicate the framing of what is being recorded. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,099,265 issued Mar. 24, 1992 to Lee, a combination optical and electronic viewfinder is provided which gives the user the option of which system to use with one device. Many camcorders have both devices as separate viewfinding devices.
A problem with viewfinders in general is that the image is so small on the viewfinder that while it is possible to frame the action while filming, it is virtually impossible to actually watch the action going on while filming it. Watching a youth soccer game and recording it at the same time can be extraordinarily frustrating if not impossible.